Glenn H. Curtiss Museum, Hammondsport, NY:  http://www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org/

 

Seward House, Auburn, NY: http://www.sewardhouse.org/

 

Corning Museum of Glass: http://www.cmog.org/

 

Howe Caverns: http://www.howecaverns.com/

 

Baseball Hall of Fame: http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/index.jsp

 

Farmer's Museum: http://www.farmersmuseum.org/

 

Panama Rocks: http://www.panamarocks.com/

Talk about a firestorm program! At 11 AM I spoke with the woman from Indian Church Road who had two dogs killed in a Buffalo Police Raid.

 

My only goal is the truth.

 

I am very pro-police, and I am very pro-animal.

 

The woman I interviewed called WBEN this morning before I came on the air, asking to come on my show, and I was in the control room when my call-screener set up the interview. This interview was not set up under any false pretences.

 

I also communicated twice with Buffalo Police spokesman Mike DeGeorge who promptly responded to my questions via e-mail.

 

Again: I wanted the truth: Was this truly a case of Rambo cops mistakenly storming the home of solid citizens and opening fire on cuddly dogs to get their rocks off? Was this a case of dogs being used as "tools" of the drug trade? Is the truth somewhere in the middle?

 

Hey, I wasn't there. I don't know what the dogs were doing when they were shot.

 

All I can go by now is what the witnesses say.

 

Detective Sgt. Rinaldo seemed to be upfront and honest when he spoke of what happened in the home that night, in my opinion. People who know him have contacted me to tell me that he is a wonderful guy, a good cop and really loves animals.

 

While I have a soft spot for people who have lost animals, my guest this morning lost credibility with me when she claimed to not remember for what reason she had been arrested several years ago. Later, when her father took the phone to accuse me of obtaining the interview under false-pretences, that put me over the top in terms of the credibility issue.

 

I was also surprised that the family had retained Paul Cambria to advocate for them.

 

The woman was not happy with some of my questions, but sometimes people make choices which make unhappy situations like this more likely. At one point in our interview, she seemed to be trying to make a case that police had entered the wrong home, so her background and friends seemed to be "fair game" for me.

 

I don't envy the police who have to make these raids: they never know what they're going into. We can dissect events in the comfort of our homes. Police have split-seconds to react and they usually get it right.

 

It will be interesting to see if the necropsy on the dogs supports the woman's story, but she didn't do herself any favors by seeming evasive.

 

As a freedom-lover, I am against the so-called "War on Drugs" and have joined Law Enforcement Against Prohibition as a civilian member. I believe that drugs are a medical issue and not a police one. This does not mean that I believe people should destroy themselves with drugs. It does mean that I believe our "war" on the problem is and will always be a failure.

 

 

 

 

Niagara Frontier Veterinary Society
P. O. Box 1252
Ellicott Station
701 Washington Street
Buffalo, NY 14205


Dear NFVS Members:

Thank you for your kind wishes to honor me as a Friend of Veterinary Medicine at this week’s meeting of the Niagara Frontier Veterinary Society. I sincerely appreciate your acknowledgment of my dedication to the animals of our community. However, after a great deal of thought, I will have to respectfully decline the award.

As a supporter of several individual animal welfare organizations that comprise the Animal Alliance of Western New York (AAWNY) in addition to the AAWNY as a whole, I do my best to educate myself on exactly what the veterinary community contributes (not merely through its AAWNY membership but through its actions) to the important mission of this exceptional alliance and of the groups individually.

With the exception of a handful of dedicated veterinarians whose work with local shelters and animal organizations is to be commended, I conclude that the philosophical differences between the veterinary community as a whole and the animal welfare groups of which I speak (and which I support) are far too great and prohibit me from accepting this honor.

Most recently, I have learned that the veterinary community has decided to pull its support of Operation PETS, the low-cost clinic responsible for the sterilization of nearly 4,000 animals in just 8 months of existence. I don’t know the reasoning behind the decision because frankly, I don’t care – all I know is that, due to the financial status of these qualifying families, these are most likely animals who would never or rarely be taken to a veterinary clinic for even a standard level of care let alone sterilization. I find it an embarrassment that the local veterinary community isn’t blatantly and publicly supporting through ACTIONS such an operation capable of making a tremendous impact on the animals and animal population of our community in a very short period of time.

I also find it extremely disconcerting that, at least as of today at 4:00 pm, your Web site claims the following:

“SPECIAL PROGRAMS: Spay Neuter Programs: The Niagara Frontier Veterinary Society strongly advocates dogs and cats be sterilized. This is both for health reasons and to control pet overpopulation. The organization understands that this can be financially challenging …”

Unfortunately, only two low-cost sterilization programs are listed on your site as NFVS-mandated alternatives: a complicated and unreliable state voucher program, and a program called VetSnip. Of your 75 member clinics, your Web site reports that only 20 participate in VetSnip, a so-called viable alternative to the costs of sterilization, and at a lacking level:

One clinic offers 1 low-cost animal sterilization per month (12 low-cost sterilizations per year);
One clinic offers 2 low-cost animal sterilizations per month (24 low-cost sterilizations per year);
Nine clinics offer 1 low-cost animal sterilization per week (468 low-cost sterilizations per year)
Six clinics offer 2 low-cost animal sterilizations per week (624 low-cost sterilizations per year)
One clinic offers 3 low-cost animal sterilizations per week (156 low-cost sterilizations per year)
Two clinics offer 4 low-cost animal sterilizations per week (416 low-cost sterilizations per year)

The grand total, and only when VetSnip reaches 100% participation in a year? Just 1700 low-cost animal sterilizations per year offered to the people of Erie County from a veterinary society comprised of more than 75 for-profit clinics. Compare that to the aforementioned number of 4000 sterilizations in 8 months at Operation PETS, a non-profit establishment.

Interestingly, although the NFVS claims to understand the financial challenges associated with animal sterilization, IT FAILS TO LIST OPERATION PETS AS AN ALTERNATIVE to high sterilization costs. Why not share this information with your current/potential clients?

We are not living in the climate of 20 or even 10 years ago in which local animal welfare organizations contradicted and criticized each other. I am witnessing these organizations putting differences aside to work effectively together for the good of animals in Erie County, and the advancements they’ve made are nothing short of incredible.

On the other hand, in observing the relationship between the veterinary community and the individual animal welfare groups over several years, it is my opinion that, every time a step forward is close to being taken, two steps back quickly follow. I see a progressively diminishing relationship, again, not between the groups and individual veterinarians but the veterinary community as a whole, and it’s sad.

Due to the efforts of the SPCA Serving Erie County and now, the entire AAWNY, Erie County is leading the nation in its numbers of adoptions, admissions, and the rare euthanasia of healthy animals. This is not my opinion; it is fact. If the veterinary community supported these efforts, imagine the impact our region could have on animals throughout the entire country, creating a model for other communities to follow. Sadly, if previous actions are any indication, I don’t see this happening any time soon.

Again, thank you for your consideration, but based on the details listed above, and others, it would be hypocritical for me to accept your award. Instead, I will continue to urge listeners/pet-owners to do their homework and support the veterinarians who best support animal welfare missions and organizations.




 

 

A big Bauerle thank you to the gang at Andy's Tree Service in North Tonawanda. At 11:40 this morning, I received an urgent request for help from the SPCA Serving Erie County: a cat had been stranded in a tree for four days.  The SPCA has no equipment that will extend as far up as the cat was stranded. Within moments, Andy's had a crew on the scene and within an hour, the female calico was safe and sound.   They donated their time, expertise and equipment to help in a desperate situation. Several tree companies offered to help, and Andy's was the closest.  You guys amaze me with your generosity.